Approach (1–2 lines)
Prioritize rapid learning cycles: 0–2mo discovery, 2–4mo validate & iterate, 4–6mo pilot & scale decision.
Month 0–2: Desk + Partner discovery
- Desk: market sizing, competitive UX audits, cultural/technical constraints (payment, privacy, device share), app store reviews, language mapping.
- Partner: local agencies, MNOs, payment providers — 4x interviews to surface infra & regulatory gaps.
- Outputs: hypotheses list, stakeholder map, 2–3 proto-personas, opportunity canvas.
Month 2–4: Field reconnaissance + shallow experiments
- Field: 10–15 contextual interviews, intercepts, diary studies (remote or local researcher).
- Shallow experiments: landing-page A/B for demand signal, ad small-spend test, prototype clicktests.
- Deep-dive experiments: moderated usability with high-fidelity prototype, ethnographic site visits for edge cases.
- Outputs: validated personas, journey maps, edge-case scenarios, low-fi to hi-fi prototypes.
Month 4–6: Pilot & go/no-go
- Pilot: 1–2 city beta (n≈500), instrumented product metrics, qualitative follow-ups.
- Metrics & go/no-go: activation (day-7), retention (day-30), task success (usability>90%), NPS>20, payment completion rate > target; fail early if activation < X% or payments blocked by regulation.
- Artifacts: IA, responsive wireframes, design system tokens, research report + decision deck.
Team composition / hires
- 1 UX Lead (you), 1 local UX researcher, 1 product manager, 1 localization PM, 1 frontend dev, partnerships lead, legal advisor (part-time), translator/research recruiter.
De-risking tactics
- Use local partners for recruitment and compliance, run paid demand tests before product build, progressive localization (content-first), feature flags and dark launches, concierge pilot to validate core flows.
Why this works: mixes fast signal with deep qualitative insight, iterates designs against real users, and defines quantitative gates to avoid costly wide release.
